It’s no secret that the current system for drug appraisal in England is unsustainable and, quite frankly, doesn’t work. Over the last couple of years, numerous rejections, restrictions, appeals and delays have come between men and the prostate cancer drugs they need – and that needs to change.

Today, NHS England and NICE released a document outlining how they propose to reform access to cancer drugs in England, which includes major changes to the way that the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) is used.

Our health system faces huge financial pressures and we need to find a long-term, sustainable solution that gets innovative and beneficial treatments to the patients who need them as quickly as possible, and without breaking the bank.

The proposed reforms could be a step towards such a solution. But some of the proposed changes also look like new barriers to accessing new cancer drugs at the earliest possible stage – something that has been a key benefit of the current CDF.

We will now get to the bottom of what these reforms will really mean for men.

NICE decision on radium 223 leaves some men in limbo

NICE decision to approve radium-223 only for those men who've already had chemotherapy leaves access for men unsuitable for chemo in doubt.